Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg at:

Check your grill brushes!!

I've heard some horrible stories about brush bristles attaching to food, getting swallowed, and wreaking havoc on the digestive track. I've noticed my brush is getting a little old and has left behind a few bristles on the grid the last few cooks. Just wanted to caution everyone to check your grid for bristles left behind. I think I may switch to a scouring pad type brush this time around.

A couple things in the article bothered me. One brush company "rigorously tests" their brushes, but any brush will shed at any time, eventually. Also, asking the question "How old is the brush?" is similarly flawed; a brand-new brush will probably shed more right at first, from manufacturing deviations (reliability engineers call these "infant mortality" failures).

Also, a question, if anyone has the answer: does this danger apply to brass bristles, or just stainless steel?

How do you get a bristle in your food? I fire the grill up, wait to temp, scrub when the grate is hot, and then typically fiddle for a bit more until temps are where i want them. I'm pretty sure I would see bristles on the grate. My brushes usually wear out quite a bit. Like half the bristles totally gone.

If there is a bristle on the grid that you miss and you put a piece of food over it, it could possibly stick to the food and get swallowed. Never had it happen to me, but I've seen a few bristles stick on my grid. Haven't missed one yet, but I threw that brush out to be safe.